Aftermath
by Leeloo Jinn
Summary: A Jedi comtemplates the future in the aftermath of the battle on Geonosis.


**Aftermath**

**By: Leeloo Jinn**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: Takes place shortly after the battle on Geonosis in _Attack of the Clones._ One Jedi ponders the future, not only for all life, but for the Jedi Order as well. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Star Wars univers with the exception of books, posters, roleplaying equipment and action figures. That universe belongs to Mr. Lucas. I'm just playing in it for a bit. I won't break anything and I promise to clean up when I'm done.**

My knees waver slightly from the fatigue I have been feeling for quite some time. I put my hand up and push away the hair that has worked loose from the knot at the back of my head. As I do, I feel the stickiness of blood. Lowering my hand, I see that it is stained with red liquid. Those rocks must have hit me harder than I thought. I check the area again and find that they are not serious cuts.

Dismissing my injuries for the time being, I draw in a breath and the stench of smoke and death invades my nostrils. All around me are pieces of machinery that are both droid and gun ships, as well as the fallen bodies of Geonosians and Clone troopers. To my left lies the body of my old friend Asuka Kim. Her black hair splayed out on the dirt beneath her; her dark eyes are now dull. Before, they had burned brightly with life. She had burned brightly with life and the Force. I had known her since we trained together at the Jedi Temple many years ago. Or so it seemed like many years ago. Truth be told, we had only been Jedi Knights for less than ten years.

I would miss her dearly. I had valued her constant friendship as well as her confidences. She had fulfilled her duty to the Order and to the people of the Republic. _But was it in vain? _I ask myself. _How many other Jedi were sacrificed today for greed? How thin are our numbers now?_

I shake the questions out of my head. They had been plaguing me since this battle ended. I thumbed the switch on my lightsaber and the blade vanished. Time enough for questions later. There was work to be done. There were people to tend to, to heal; there were plans to be made.

I crouch down next to Asuka and brush my fingers over her eyelids, closing them. Foolish perhaps, but it gave me a small measure of comfort. That simple action gives her a bit more dignity in death.

As I glance up at the scene around me, I notice that mop up operations have already begun. Clone trooper commanders are picking their way across the dirt packed ground of the battlefield, checking to see who is wounded and alive and who is not. I hear the groans of some, but they are few and far between. I know that I should be assisting and with one last look at Asuka, I whisper a goodbye. I stand up and make my way over to the nearest Clone commander.

He is bending over a fallen trooper, checking for vitals. I wait for him to realize that the trooper is beyond any medical help. Grimly making the decision that the man is dead, he straightens up and sees me.

"All Jedi are to regroup on the south ridge," he states through his helmet.

I nod in response and before I turn to go, he asks if I need medical attention. I politely refuse and begin the walk towards the south ridge. Passing through the field, I can hear the distant whine of the troop carriers as they drop off the remaining Jedi at the designated rendezvous point. I watch as they swoop down and gently land on the hard packed dirt. I cannot see my fellow Jedi disembark, but I can feel them there.

As I make my way towards them, the questions return. As I ponder them, I feel a thin layer of despondency descend over me. I wonder if this was just the prelude to something bigger. Something that would spiral so far out of control, that there would be no stopping it. No one would be safe. Everyone would suffer; even the Jedi.

Many times I have heard the rumor that Anakin Skywalker is the one that will bring balance to the Force. He is supposed to be the Chosen One. I have met Anakin once or twice. On the surface he is polite, but in a restrained manner. Beneath the surface, I could feel the power he has. And under that, I could barely discern the anger and internal conflicts he held. I do not know the circumstances of his life prior to arriving at the Temple, but the anger is there. It makes me question which side of that balance he will swing it to.

It takes me a considerable amount of time to reach the south ridge. The land is littered with the aftermath of the fight and I have to pick my way over pieces of machinery, droid bodies and Clone bodies as well as the rubble of rocks and dirt. I imagine that it would be like this on other worlds as well, if this infection of Count Dooku's spreads. The thought of so many dead, wounded, homeless, fighting for the simple privilege of living, almost weighs me down. I feel my knees tremble again under the knowledge of all of this and I almost collapse. But I resolutely strengthen my resolve to make it to my destination before giving in to any type of exhaustion. It does no good to brood over what may happen. The focus was on the here and now.

**FIN**


End file.
